A sure way to get a job...

is to get rid of the competitors.
Link



Somehow, it reminds me of what's happening in Perak!

Before we complain 'Fed up of the same food'...

think of the less fortunate.

I am quite used to friends at a coffee shop wondering what to eat for today's breakfast. Quite often, I hear, 'fed up of the food here'. I cannot help reminding them not to make such statement as there are so many more people going hungry for days.

I can still remember this HK friend complaining about certain HK girls who would order food unnecessarily just because their boyfriends are paying. That was thirty five years ago. I do not think young people of today, brought up in the affluent society are any better, probably worse, with maids at their beck and call.

A friend forwarded to me this video clip which I am sure would change for the better, viewer's attitude towards food waste:

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte

Further proof of spin in the net

Not sure who put the title as, 'proof the irish discovered africa':
Link

My apologies to Irish people if they feel offended.

Careful how you point your fingers...

The following pictures were definitely taken out of context when together it was titled, 'The difference between Bush and Obama'! Another example of spin which people can use to their advantage.

Link

Hope for Malaysia: a new breed of young politicians

Cheng posted this in Facebook:

Just as I was getting tired of Malaysian politics, there is some hope that this is only a passing phase of our maturing democracy. Our bright young leaders (with our firm support) will see to that... =.)
My comment:
You are one of the missing links!

Just a father's wish that his daughter gets to experience politics when he is still around. To me, it is a sort of national service, not the usual ambition for position and wealth. As I have stated in one of my earlier posts, it is not a bed of roses for sincere politicians with the nation at heart (Jeff Ooi's experience that he is worse off financially is a case in mind). When it gets too much, perhaps it is time for others with similar mission to take over. This is unlike those where power means a chance to accumulate immense wealth and there is the usual reluctance to relinquish it.

And it has to do with the joint statement by Nurul Izzah and Nik Nazmi: Working for Malaysia's future

which has encouraged Anas Zubedy to write this letter to Malaysiakini:

Lead the Hypo charge, Nurul and Nik
Anas Zubedy | Apr 27, 09 4:31pm
I find PKR's Nurul Izzah and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad refreshing. Do read their article Working for Malaysia's future.

What I find most pertinent in this co-written article is its ending. Usually it is the ending of a letter or note that conveys the innermost message. They said, I quote, ‘PKR will continue to fight for change. The first battle is to fight to change ourselves for the better.'

While I may not agree with how they wrapped up certain issues within their article, but the fact that the two of them finished it with ‘changing from within' I see hope. They will still need to learn to unlearn the need to judge others using the ideal.

If they take this route, they will remain as an opposition, where the world is always wrong, they are always right. Putting the blame of their inadequacy and inaction to external factors ie, lack of resources or being blocked by an ‘evil enemy'.

But, as I said, I sense hope and potential. In the business world we call young talents like these Hypos - ie. High Potentials.

For Malaysia to grow and succeed, we need good people both in government and the opposition. It is not enough to have good people on either side. I think these two young MPs represent the future of their party, and if they mature further, may even lead the country.

I like the idea that the younger generation in Pakatan Rakyat from the various component parties actually find joy in working together. The spirit of fellowship is of utmost importance in making things happen. Something BN Hypos should seriously work on, too.

I deal and assist my clients with their Hypos usually within the context of implementing the organisation's mentor-mentee programme. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet really good and potential young minds. I see hope and keenness in their eyes.

They need polishing - and definitely guidance - in areas that require a ‘big picture conceptual worldview' and the need to be even-keeled. But most of them have the capacity to reach their potential.

CEOs and top management - some knowingly while others by intuition - basically pick and build young talents via four criteria. We have made it easier by coining the acronym ‘Capi' (also featured in our Xmas 2007 advert.

So what to look for in ‘Top Talents'?

Capacity
A person's capacity is the basic foundation of his or her ability to deliver. No amount of training or exposure can bring out what is expected from a talent if he or she lacks the capacity. Like a car engine, capacity determines the ability to perform under different circumstances. The larger the capacity, the greater the propensity to deliver.

Performance
True performance is about results, not efforts. Top talents do not play the blame game. Instead, top talents focus their energies on where the results are; they make things happen, they deliver. They are career-oriented, not job-oriented, delivering over and above what is required.

People Skills
Top talents deliver through working with and through people. They harness and focus the energy of others toward common goals. They are team leaders. Talents who prefer working alone are specialists, they are great support for top talents. Those who get results by stepping on the others lack the fourth criteria and must not be considered.

Integrity
Leadership must come with integrity - there is no compromise. Without integrity, talent is a liability. No matter how brilliant, knowledgeable or successful, a lack of integrity disqualifies any and all talent for any managerial position.

I have strong convictions that if we use these four criteria to choose our MPs and state assemby persons as well as leaders, this country will reach greater heights. I hope Nurul and Nik will use Capi to judge both their own people in Pakatan and their BN counterparts. Purge all those who fail in any of the above criteria. Check your own people, and ask them to leave.

Both BN and Pakatan, for example, must choose integrity and vote against party-hopping. In that way, the country will remain stable for five years even if either party wins a general election with just a simple majority (as opposed to a two-third majority).

If the Hypos in Pakatan (and BN) have the capacity to see the big picture conceptual framework, they will be able to see the wisdom in this idea. So even if for example Pakatan wins the next general election with a majority of just five seats, they will have the stability to prove themselves for five years - and Malaysia is stable and would have graduated to a two-party system - my goal.

As I see myself as neither BN nor Pakatan, I see myself belonging to a Middle Malaysia - a third voice if you must. Nurul and Nik correctly stated in their article, ‘Malaysia's leaders need to always listen and learn from the people, and this is something that we, the young leaders of Keadilan and Pakatan pledge to do'.

And do remember,
‘Reshape yourself through the power of your will.' - Bhagavad-Gita (6:5)
‘To conquer others needs strength; To conquer oneself is harder.' - Tao Te Ching - Chapter 33
‘Though one should conquer a million men in battlefields, yet he, indeed, is the noblest victor who has conquered himself.' - The Buddha (Dhammapada 103)
‘Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.' -Matthew 7:5
‘Verily, never will God change the fate (condition) of a people until they change it themselves.' The Quran 13 : 11
And Guru Nanak said, ‘To conquer the world, we must first conquer our own mind'.

All the best, young Malaysians potentials - in politics, government and businesses.

Link

Another communication boo-boop...

Well, we have heard of the statement that there is no perfect agreement because if a party to it wants to find fault, there will be disagreement over the details, which is why the lawyers are here for. And if the other party is a wily female?

Present For Husband
A woman goes to Italy to attend a 2-week, company training session.

Her husband drives her to the airport and wishes her to have a good trip.

The wife answers : "Thank you honey, what would you like me to bring for you?"

The husband laughs and says: "An Italian girl !!!" The woman kept quiet and left.

Two weeks later he picks her up in the airport and asks: "So, honey, how was the trip?"

"Very good, thank you." "And, what happened to my present?"

"Which present?" She asked.

"The one I asked for - an Italian girl!!"

"Oh, that" she said "Well, I did what I could, now we have to wait for nine months to see if it is a girl."



Link

Effective communication

This is confusing because of the poor 'Engrish':

This is more effective, with the use of mural on the ceiling of a smokers' lounge:

Link

Please get your facts right first...

even for an innocent office memo, the lack of accurate information can be hilarious, if not embarrassing.

OFFICE MEMO:

All members of staff - please note that due to recession, there will only be one drink per person at this year's Annual Party.

And please bring your own cup!

Regards,
Management

And what happened at the annual party !!!

The specification was missing in the memo (size of cup).

Moral of the story:
Be very specific in your daily life including project work. Give specific specifications.

Just imagine for someone who reported to the police, and mistook Malaysiakini or Malaysia Insider for Malaysia Today! How could the evidence, if any, stands up in court?
Link

Will BN lose its job?...

for its success in launching the internet?

Well, Raja Petra lost his job when his Free Anwar Campaign succeeded!

Marina and I quickly walked to the side of the Palace of Justice where it was quieter and I spoke to the chap from the BBC.
“We heard Anwar has just been released. Can we get your statement?”
“ Sure, but why me?” I asked.
“Well, you are the Director of the Free Anwar Campaign and you run the freeanwar dot com website. I suppose you are now out of a job since Anwar has just been released. What do you plan to do now?”
“I suppose you could put it that way,” I laughed. “I must be the only Director who got retrenched from his job because he is successful.”

In his latest post while being a fugitive (reminds me of Dr. Kimble, acted by David Janssen), he has given a brief history of his campaigns, which might be useful as free information for our Ministry of Information, a misnomer for one which covers up and spins instead... like the recent forum by the Bar Council (or National Press Club's series of National Discourse "The Perak Crisis" as mentioned in Rocky Bru's? I'm confused) with top lawyers, Tommy Thomas and Shafee Abdullah, and economist, Subramaniam Pillay from Aliran, which was not mentioned in the newspapers, let alone expecting it to be televised for more people to know.

Malaysia-Today - In Perak crisis, frustration describes public sentiment (excerpts):
Sunday, 26 April 2009 02:43
“I've absolutely lost hope in our current judiciary. This is the perception of not just me but many Malaysians. We’ve lost faith in the courts. That’s bad because it has severe consequences to the economy.”
(original article by Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider)

Tommy Thomas and Datuk Shafee Abdullah, two of Malaysia’s most prominent lawyers, turned a Bar Council forum on the Perak constitutional crisis into a courtroom today, debating fine legal points.

But it was Subramaniam Pillay, an unknown economist with social pressure group Aliran, who probably articulated public frustration over the power grab by Barisan Nasional (BN) which has plunged Perak into chaotic battle for control with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that is being played out in various courts.

“I've absolutely lost hope in our current judiciary,” said the Teluk Intan native.

Raja Petra's mission (see his full article in the following link):
Malaysia Today - Sun Tzu and the art of war (excerpts):

In 1998, when we first started using the Internet to fight Barisan Nasional, there were only 280,000 Internet subscribers against 8 million registered voters. Today, ten years on, there are almost 16 million Internet subscribers against 12 million registered voters.

The Internet has been abuzz the last couple of days about the ‘accidental’ police report an NGO made against Malaysiakini. Those who had made the police report did not know the difference between Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Malaysia Today.The following day, they ‘corrected’ the mistake and two more ‘Malay’ NGOs made a police report against Malaysia Today. While I am honoured that the news reports talk about Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Malaysia Today in the same breath, I have to correct this misperception and declare that Malaysia Today should not be compared to Malaysiakini or The Malaysian Insider.

Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider are proper or legitimate online newspapers or portals run by professional media personnel, most who have many years experience in the media industry. Malaysia Today, however, is not in that same league. We are not a proper or legitimate online newspaper. Neither are we run by professional media personnel. Malaysia Today is a ‘weapon’ that is meant to bring about political change in Malaysia.


Link

Perak government should go into auction business

because...according to this Star report:

MB: We won’t lose out in Camry auction
Saturday April 25, 2009
By SYLVIA LOOI

IPOH: The Perak government will not be making any losses in auctioning off the Toyota Camrys at a lower price than paid by the Pakatan Rakyat administration.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the state had set a reserve price of RM148,000, some RM10,000 lower than the price paid by Pakatan, but bidders were already offering a higher amount.

“If the bid price is higher, we will already have made money,” he told reporters after opening the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia roadshow here yesterday.

On the statement by former Pakatan exco member Nga Kor Ming that the Camry cars should not have been auctioned off pending the disposal of a court case by former mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin challenging Dr Zambry’s appointment, Dr Zambry said:

“I am carrying out my responsibility as the mentri besar. It is usual of him. Whatever things I say would not be good.”
On whether the state would get new cars to replace the 16 Camrys, Dr Zambry said the state was contemplating it.

“But at this stage, we will use whatever cars we are using now,” he said, adding that he had instructed the state financial officer to discuss with Proton on the service aspect, which was a major complaint.

On whether the auction would draw the people’s ire, Dr Zambry said the rakyat had a right to be angry if the state did not sell off the Camry cars but spent money to buy other cars.

“Now we are putting the cars on sale in the market,” he said.

Asked why the Barisan Nasional administration did not continue using the Camrys, Dr Zambry said it was the state government’s stand to use only national cars.

On Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in his blog, blaming Barisan’s loss in the recent Bukit Gantang by-election to too many portraits of the candidate Ismail Safian and the Mentri Besar, Dr Zambry said there were other aspects.

He noted that there was strong support for Barisan from a certain race but less so from other races.

Under normal circumstances, cars depreciate but this is not normal circumstance. We are talking about a MB with Federal and Royal backing, backed by BN’s limitless funds at their disposal.

With all the criticisms against the auction, mainly on the point of financial loss, the amount necessary to prevent a loss is chicken feed to them. There is no shortage of business cronies willing to help if and when necessary. They can make the auction a real success just to refute all the allegations of waste of government money.

In fact, Nizar’s car in particular, is likely to fetch higher because of its special significance. They can either bid to make it exceptionally expensive for him to buy and at the same time show a profit for all to see that the whole exercise was a good idea after all; or have someone to buy and give it to him at his original bid, or even for free to show how magnanimous they can be!




Link

Why riding with mummy can be a problem

But this has nothing to do with riding:

Proper Excercise While Pregnant

The room was full of pregnant women and their partners, and the Lamaze class was in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.

The teacher then announced, "Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, gentlemen, it wouldn't hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner!"

The room really got quiet. Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand.

"Yes?" asked the teacher.

"Is it alright if she carries a golf bag while we walk?"

Dr. Spin

Our new Minister of Information has a doctorate in law and was well respected until a ministerial post came along and his views since went off course. Recently, while holding a different portfolio, he was shown on television explaining on points of law, for the purpose of clearing people's doubts on recent legal problems and so on. But the credibility seemed missing, partly because he represented BN's leadership and not as an academic. With the people believing more in bloggers than the mainstream media, he has warned about action to be taken against them.

From Haris Ibrahim's The People's Parliament:

Rais on the ISA, in 1995, when he was in the political wilderness :
“The ISA does not speak well for the future of the rule of law in Malaysia. In fact, it is the main adversary of the rule of law. The abolition of the ISA is imperative.”

Rais on the ISA in 2009, as Minister of Information and long out of the political wilderness, in an interview on BBC’s Hardtalk :
“The mechanism that we have under the ISA, specifically Section 8 and 73, can be challenged through the process of habeas corpus, which system is also prevalent here, and therefore, to say that the ISA is not up to the standard of humanity is wrong”
Oh, how thy complexion changes with thy fortunes!

From Zorro-unmasked:
This morning, I was amused that the Minister unearthed a cloak & dagger plot by foreign press to unseat our Prime Minister. I hopefully hope our Minister is not re-reading the annals of Zam I and have no ambitions to be Zam II. Please don't Sir, because you are made of better stuff, I can tell. So let's not hear anymore of this plot. We are aware that a foreign body can attack any body. But a healthy body, I repeat, a HEALTHY body can ward off foreign bodies. It is when the body is not healthy that it is susceptible to an attack and possible annihilation by that foregn body.

One good way to prevent these foreign bodies from attacking our body (PM) is to attack them. The paradox - a good defence is the best offence - holds true here. If the minister is so sure and has all the relevant proofs, lets us SUE the foreign press for demonising our PM. This is the least we can expect as onery citizens. But we expect you, our Minister of Information, to institute legal actions against these foreign media. What for lah challenge Zaid Ibrahim for debate? Your predecesssor did and he frothed in the mouth. Don't waste home resources. Sue the foreign devils and you will have my undivided loyalty. Nike them, JUST DO IT!

Link

Dr. MC Hammer

About time we face up to the abuse of Medical Certificates, or more commonly known as MC in Malaysia. A local medical practitioner must have had enough of the nonsense to come up with the following letter to The Star:

Friday April 24, 2009
Don’t demand for MCs
I READ with amusement the news report on the sale of medical leave certificates. Having practised medicine for the last 25 years, nothing surprises me.

What a doctor knows is that when a person is feeling unwell, he consults a doctor to get a diagnosis and treatment to relieve his pain or discomfort. If he is too sick to work, he is issued an MC.

However, to many people these days, the whole purpose of going to the clinic is to get the MC. Regardless of whether they are sick or not.

Some patients demand an MC because their bosses told them to go to the clinic to get an MC and some patients even come at 4pm and demand an MC because they did not go to work in the morning which was eight hours earlier.

Some patients demand MC for two days for a slight runny nose that can be cured with one tablet and some do not want an MC on the day they see the doctor because they are already in the office but want an MC for the following day.

There are also those who want an MC because they are tired, not ill, and those who want MC but are not interested in what is wrong with them (the diagnosis) or the medicine.

I have had demands for MC over the phone. One innovative patient e-mailed me asking for an MC to be e-mailed back to him.

One human resources manager told his secretary to call my nurse to ask me to write him an MC and he will send one of his staff to come and collect it.

I have also come across patients coming in at 2pm for an MC for the day because they did not go to college to sit for an exam in the morning. If they produce an MC, their parents do not have to pay the exam fees for a re-sit.

And then one patient asked for two days MC on returning from a two-week European tour as she was too tired to work. She should have anticipated the jet lag and taken annual leave for two more days.

Without seeing the patient, we cannot issue an MC for him or her to stay home. What if he is having appendicitis or a brain haemorrhage, which he can die from if not attended to?

A doctor’s priority is to relieve suffering and save lives. What people fail to realise is that we are not there to spitefully obstruct them from getting a day’s rest if they are really indisposed. We are actually on their side but we have to be fair. I hope patients can read this, understand our position and refrain from challenging their doctors ethically and professionally.

OLD FASHIONED DOCTOR,
Kuala Lumpur.
Link

Forgiveness: there is an expiry date...

I have someone in mind when I read this:

Forgiveness
The preacher, in his Sunday sermon, used "Forgive Your Enemies" as his subject.
After a long sermon, he asked how many were willing to forgive their enemies.
About half held up their hands.
Not satisfied, he harangued for another twenty minutes and repeated his question.
This time he received a response of eighty percent.
Still unsatisfied, he lectured for fifteen minutes and repeated his question.
With thoughts of Sunday dinner, all responded except one old gentleman in the rear.
Mr. Jones, are you not willing to forgive your enemies?"
"I don't have any."
"Mr. Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?"
"Eighty-six."
"Mr. Jones, please come down in front and tell the congregation how a man can live to be 86 and not have an enemy in the world."
The old man teetered down the aisle and slowly turned around. "It's easy. I outlived all of them...."

I am also reminded of this quote:
Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? - Abraham Lincoln
Link

Quick fix for a tall order...

Might is right for now:

Malaysia-Today: - Poser on sultan's power (excerpts):

In his application, Zambry wants the Federal Court to clarify the position of Article 16 (2) and Article 16 (6) of the Perak Constitution.

He posed three questions:
- whether the ruler had the right to refuse consent to the dissolution of the assembly by menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin when he had lost the confidence of the majority assemblymen;
- whether upon refusal by the ruler to dissolve the assembly, should Nizar and his executive councillors tender their resignations; and
- whether the ruler can appoint Zambry as menteri besar after due inquiry that Nizar had lost the confidence of the majority assemblymen although a vote of no confidence was not taken in the assembly.

If the above questions are in the affirmative, Zambry wants the court to declare that his appointment as menteri besar on Feb 6 was in accordance with Article 16 (2) of the Perak Constitution.

But this part stands out like a sore thumb:

He said the questions of general principles posed would be decided for the first time, and it was of public importance as it involved the major concerns of the people of Perak.

The recent by-election in Bukit Gantang showed the people’s concern is more in favour of Nizah lah!

In the long haul, right will be might.
Link

What we do not know, we really want to know

Human nature is such that if you give a person an inch, he wants a foot. When Nizar made public his meeting with the Sultan, the next thing the public wishes to know is what transpired when Najib met with Tuanku!

The Nut Graph Sultan didn’t cite any reasons, says Nizar

From Bernard Khoo's site:

Herr General, I nearly forgot!
Can you throw in this question?
Its a request from my buddy Duke the Whisperer:

Sir, what did you whisper to the Ruler to win Perak so expeditiously?

HERR GENERAL,
TAUSEND DANK!
The original post can be found in: zorro-unmasked

The Nut Graph Perak, the opportunity in crisis
FOR all the dust it has stirred, the Perak political deadlock has presented a soul-searching opportunity for Malaysians to consider the type of government and constitutional monarchy it wants.

At the dawn of the Perak crisis, many looked with great hope towards Sultan Azlan Shah, a former chief justice and one of the most revered monarchs in the country, for a resolution.

The leaders of Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional [BN] sought separate audiences with [the] sultan to stake their claim to the Perak state government.

In the end, the sultan favoured the BN and swore in Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as menteri besar.

That marked the beginning of an ongoing, protracted legal battle and public debate in constitutional interpretations - at the federal and state level - as well as greater public interest in the powers and functions of the state legislative assembly, the judiciary, the government and indeed the royalty...

Link

Crooked bridge: let's see who is really the boss

Koon Yew Yin's take in Malaysiakini:

Stop pushing for the crooked bridge (excerpts):
However, should the pressure from the Mahathir camp continue to grow and become difficult to ignore, one way of defusing it is to have full public disclosure of the crooked bridge project, its history, the major and minor players who have been involved in it, the findings of various feasibility studies dealing with it, various cost-benefit scenarios and not least of all, the financial ramifications of the project, including the payment of more than RM100 million ringgit to the contractor for the decision to stop the proposal - a payment made despite the fact that the contractor did not do any physical construction work on site. Let the public be provided with all the facts of the project (much of which has not been available because of the operation of the Official Secrets Act) and let the public (especially competent professionals) help in the decision after a full and fair appraisal.

1. One of the objectives for breaking up the existing causeway is to allow ships to bypass Singapore port which will automatically affect Singapore's economy. That is why Singapore is not giving us the permission to break their portion of the causeway. As a result, Mahathir's lobbyists have proposed building the crooked bridge.

2. The bridge must be high enough to allow ships to go under the bridge. For such a short span, the gradient will be too steep for any train to climb. Moreover, trains cannot negotiate sharp bends.

3. I remember reading that this matter was discussed in the Singapore Parliament. It was pointed out that if Malaysia did not maintain the railway for longer than six months, Singapore could claim the right of all the railway land in Singapore territory.

4. I also remember that when we tried to stop Singapore's reclamation work, the matter was referred to the international court. The court decided that both countries have to agree for any development project within a certain distance from the boundary.

Please do not use this as a form of economic stimulus. We know only a few people get stimulated by such an exercise.

Link

Taken too literally...

Link

Honesty, where are you?

Chorus from Billy Joel’s Honesty lyrics:

Honesty is such a lonely word.

Everyone is so untrue.

Honesty is hardly ever heard.

And mostly what I need from you.

In the world of politics, statements are made to give a good impression of the politician and to try and please if possible, the most people, and that is why they are known as politically correct statements. Then the people would expect him to 'walk the talk' and very often, talk becomes mere talk and he would walk only the walk.

Sometimes, it is better to listen to kids for some honest statements and you can probably get some in those who attend church:

A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, 'Would you like to say the blessing?'
'I wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied.
'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said, 'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?'

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service,
'And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?'
One bright little girl replied, 'Because people are sleeping.'

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
'If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, 'Ryan , you be Jesus !'

3-year-old Reese:
'Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.
Amen.

A barber got his 'hair cut'

A guy stuck his head into a barber shop and asked, "How long before I can get a haircut?"

The barber looked around the shop full of customers and said, "About two hours." The guy left.

A few days later the same guy stuck his head in the door and asked, "How long before I can get a haircut?"

The barber looked around at the shop and said, "About three hours." The guy left.

A week later the same guy stuck his head in the shop and asked, "How long before I can get a haircut?"

The barber looked around the shop and said, "About an hour and half." The guy left.

The barber turned to a frieBnd and said, "Hey, Bill, do me a favor. Follow that guy and see where he goes. He keeps asking how long he has to wait for a haircut, but then he doesn ' t ever come back."

A little while later Bill returned to the shop, laughing hysterically.

The barber asked, "So where does that guy go when he leaves?" Bill looked up, tears in his eyes and said, "Your house."

It is wise not to let others know when you will be away and for how long. Someone might be listening, when you mention it to your friend in a public place, with ulterior motives.

I do not believe in telling the police that I will be away for a couple of weeks and that nobody will be at home. Even security guards are known to be untrustworthy. This is the reality now.
Link

Why the hurry to auction off the Camrys?

It just does not make sense. Before the matters of the court are settled and the next State Assembly sitting scheduled to be held on May 7 (even without the knowledge nor consent of the sitting Speaker), advertisement was placed in the papers about the auction of State Exco cars.

If this is not blatant waste of public funds, I do not know what is. Are Camrys not good enough for BN Exco members?

Link

Politics in animals

wait and see, fence-sitter:
shitty statements:

vulnerable representatives:

reward for being good:

symbiotic relationship: I'll let you 'cari makan' if you get rid of those pests for me:

At your service, Sir... ready when you say so:

Link

5 nuns in a bar

Sisters Mary Catherine, Maria Theresa, Katherine Marie, Rose Frances, &Mary Kathleen left the Convent on a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and were sight-seeing on a Tuesday in July. It was hot and humid in town and their traditional garb was making them so uncomfortable, they decided to stop in at Patty McGuire's Pub for a cold soft drink.

Patty had recently added special legs to his bar stools, which were the talk of the fashionable eastside neighbourhood. All 5 Nuns sat up at the bar and were enjoying their Cokes when Monsignor Riley and Father McGinty entered the bar through the front door

They, too, came for a cold drink when they were shocked and almost fainted at what they saw.


Beer stand?

Link

Scapegoat of a perfect crime

Double entendre

These can only be understood properly by those who paid attention in English classes.....

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

3. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a
weapon of math disruption.

4. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

8. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

10. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

11. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

12. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

13. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

14. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

15. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

19. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

20. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

21. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

22. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.

23. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

May 7: Can turncoats turnover again?

It just occurred to me that it just might be possible for the three, or at least two of them, to vote against instead of what will be expected of them!

But the consequences for doing so would be more damaging than what is happening now – being shunned by their former comrades and supporters.

Hope for divine intervention? Why can’t the two ex-PKR be ‘ill’, like what happened when they were supposed to be at court hearing for their corruption cases, this coming May 7? Can Hee be ‘heeden’ and not be found or vote according to her conscience, if any?

What about the rest of the State assemblymen? What makes it so certain that it will be BN’s 28+3 against PR’s 28? Not only the 3 precious ones must be closely guarded to ensure their attendance, but also the rest of the 28 from each side of the political divide.

Foregone conclusion expected, yet it would be interesting to know what will happen this historic May 7, 2009, when the executive reigns supreme over the constitution.


Link

Nazri, are you aware of NH Chan's critiques?

According to a New Sunday Times headline:

Nazri slams Ngeh for criticising court ruling

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has hit out at Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham for questioning a Federal Court ruling pertaining to Perak…

He said Ngeh, as a lawyer, should respect the decision of the courts and not make statements claiming the judiciary had interfered in the legislative.

“As for me, there is no doubt that the decision of the court is correct.” ...

Why did he sidestep pointing out former Justice NH Chan’s critiques of the Federal Court rulings? I think he should be giving a statement on this instead of just taking on the politicians.

According to my perception of what the people would think of our judiciary over the last 27 years:

There are good and bad judges as well as intelligent and not so intelligent ones. There are those who made it through lower standards of examinations and promoted via favouritism. Some could even be senile prematurely. But then again, an intelligent and well qualified person does not necessarily become a good judge. He could be prejudiced or even corrupted. There was even an alleged written judgement done by a private lawyer’s clerk! I am sure some preferred not to use their brainpower too much. Over time, knowledge of case law precedents, common law, statutes and constitution becomes blurred.

To use an analogy, I am now on top of the list of solvers of Sudoku in a particular website which uses relatively simple puzzles where I need to make only three attempts to fill a given box with certainty. Yet I could not complete most of those in The Star because they were definitely of higher standards. Would I be proud of my so-called master status in that site? I would be naïve to think I am good at it, let alone being a master.

The Lingam’s video had created doubts about the integrity of certain judges, which have yet to be resolved.

Though NH Chan retired as a Court of Appeal Judge, he was senior to most, if not all of the present Federal Court judges because he was sidelined for being independent in his judgments. Most people would take his criticisms of their recent judgments as credible, as he has effectively challenge them to take whatever actions for doing so.

Generally, in my opinion, those lawyers, in this case an ex-judge, who dared to challenge the government decisions are better qualified because it takes a lot more effort and intellect to criticise than to go along with the flow. Being apolitical makes him more credible to the public than even an eminent lawyer politician.

Similarly, generally speaking, opposition lawyer politicians are likely to be better than BN lawyer politicians based on the statements made by them. While I cannot discount the possibility of BN men having to make politically necessary statements even if they did not like them personally, it is definitely easier going with the flow than to criticise. Of course, like everything else, there are exceptions to the rule.

I can still remember more than 30 years ago, when my relative took her bar examinations, I could not get over the fact that candidates could use textbooks to answer the questions. Well, it is a case of if you do not have it, no matter how many books are available, and all the time provided, you won’t be able to answer satisfactorily. It is like having a dictionary and yet unable to write a good essay. Or given logarithm tables and yet unable to solve mathematical questions.

The public may not know, but the peers in the profession would know who are the excellent ones and who are not. But as members of the public, we can still try to judge for ourselves, especially with the help of concerned legal experts willing to stick their necks out for the good of the nation. I do not think it is good to be blind loyalists.


Link

By-elections: waste of whose funds?

According to Sunday Star:
Najib: BN may not contest polls

PEKAN: Barisan Nasional may not contest the Penanti state by-election if there is a consensus among all component parties that it will be a waste of funds, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
The Prime Minister said the Umno and Barisan supreme councils would hold meetings at the end of the month to decide whether to participate in the by-election in Penang.
Najib said he would not rule out the possibility of Barisan not contesting, as the latest by-election was “clearly a political ploy” by the Opposition.
“No, we are not afraid of losing to them but it is a sheer waste of public funds. Whatever decision we are to make, we will take into consideration whether it benefits the people.
“Besides, we would have no qualms about contesting if it was done in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution,” he said at a press conference held at his residence near here yesterday.
…

According to Saturday Star, front page:

Costly polls
The five by-elections which have been held in the country following the 2008 general election have cost Malaysian taxpayers Rm33.4mil.

(Breakdown):
P44 Permatang Pauh (Aug 26, 2008)
SPR: Rm409,000
Police:Rm2.5million

P36 Kuala Terengganu (Jan 24, 2009)
SPR: Rm580,000
Police: Rm11.5mil.

P59 Bukit Gantang (April 7, 2009)
SPR:Rm600,000
Police: Rm7 mil.

N25 Bukit Selambau (April 7, 2009)
SPR: Rm400,000
Police: Rm5mil.

N29 Batang Ai (April 7, 2009)
SPR: Rm400,000
Police: Rm5mil.

Where the money went:
Election Commission (SPR):
On paying election workers, staff allowances, printing costs, transportation including helicopters and accommodation.

Police:
On temporary bases and tents, logistics and transportation, accommodation, rental, electricity and outstation allowances.

Political parties:
Millions on printing billboards, banners, posters, newsletters, logistics, transportation, accommodation and food for volunteers.

My comments:
Police expenditure stood out like a sore thumb for Kuala Terengganu mainly because of a few thousand police sent there from other states. I can still remember the high cost of tents being queried.

The BN incurred exceptionally higher costs (undisclosed) because of alleged buying of votes and providing buses to transport voters from outside the state of Terengganu which did not work out.

The main difference between BN and PR is also the costs of providing for the supporters in the case of BN while the latter depends on supporters providing own transport and accommodation.

Besides, there is also the open secret of BN using government facilities in providing for the transport and accommodation of ministers and other leaders from other states. These expenditures will really be saved if BN gave a walkover in Penanti. Maybe, it is worthwhile to wait and see, if BN decides to do so.
Link

Royal message heard loud and clear

Reading between the lines... no, it was clear as crystal, which side Tuanku is on despite proclaiming that Rulers are above politics.

From The Star:

Rulers are above politics: Sultan Azlan Shah (Update) (excerpts):
KUALA KANGSAR: Rulers are above politics and as such they cannot participate in open debates to answer allegations hurled against them by political groups, said Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah on Sunday.

He said the actions of certain political groups in provoking the people and sowing seeds of hatred against the rulers was akin to fanning “embers in the chaff” which, he said, was a dangerous act and could destroy the peace enjoyed by the people and the country.

“These groups are allowing the end to justify the means by condoning such acts.

“These groups and individuals feel that they are faultless and immune from any action, to the extent of disregarding the law for the sake of attaining power,” he said at the loyalty pledge and Perak awards ceremony in conjunction with his 81st birthday at the Istana Iskandariah here Sunday.
…

Raja Nazrin resolute in defending monarchy from ridicule (excerpts):

KUALA KANGSAR: The Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah today said he would implement all efforts to ensure the institution of royalty, which was core to the system of governance and nationhood in the country, would continue to be protected.

“An offspring will not allow the dignity and sovereignty of a ruler to be ridiculed.

As such the people must be conscious not to be hasty to throw the lamp away, as daylight too will end.

“Let it not be that as night falls, people grope about directionless, blanketed in darkness without a lamp,” he said at the pledging of loyalty and awards ceremony in conjunction with the 81st birthday of the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah at Istana Iskandariah here Sunday.
…

“Actions of insulting institutions, ridiculing institutions, fermenting hatred towards institutions are early steps in the movement towards abolishing the institutions therefore abolishing the original identity of the country’s race.”
…

The following would seem like a rebuttal of the above:

The Malaysian Insider: The day the Constitution died?


Link

Sudoku: from a novice to a master!

Well, just a feel good thing, like NTV7’s ‘feel good’ slogan which they translate as ‘kum kok mei hou’.

Incidentally, this phone shop supervisor avoids her name ‘Mei Hou’ thinking it is ‘uncool’ for her generation. Well, it is difficult for parents to choose name and expect it to be cool in 20 years time! I think, her name translates to ‘good in the end (as in life)’ which must be really good to the parents.

Since I had my difficulty with Sudoku, I have been doing The Star’s (from Daily Telegraph, UK) every day and each time could not finish it.

Though I did not think it was nice earlier, I actually ask the young lady to photocopy two of the day’s Sudoku, one for her husband and another for another girl’s boy friend. I said, ‘I just want to know the standard of Sudoku because I have difficulty completing even one.’ At least, let me know what they think of The Star’s being a regular player. It so happened, she had with her, a copy of Sin Chew papers which has its Sudoku puzzle done by her husband. I copied on to my newspapers, where there was some space, even in between words, so that I can try it out at home.

Well, it was a good start that I managed to complete it! This proved to me that the standard of Sudoku in Sin Chew is lower than The Star. Anyway, with a bit of effort, a few trial and error attempts, I managed to complete my first of The Star’s.

I was actually disappointed that the young lady did not do as promised, even though I had reminded her on the day she forgot about it. It is either she is just not one to keep in mind such frivolous exercise, or she could be evasive because of the fact that her husband could not complete The Star’s! Same with the girl who is supposed to bring a completed copy from her boyfriend.

As it happened, a visitor of my blog, Anuradha (presumably from India) gave me a link to play Sudoku online. With my new found confidence, I tried it and found it much easier than The Star’s. I completed one, then six in a row and saw my name up on the list of solvers. Since, I had the time, I thought why not make it to the top, which at that time was occupied by Tong with 14 completed. I was expecting it to be tough progressively but I managed to exceed Tong’s 14 and for the time being, I am master of Sudoku in this particular site! www.bobsindia.com/bobyweb/sudoku;

I think it is good to try out tougher puzzles (provided one has the inclination to treat as a challenge) so that the practice would improve one's ability more than just doing the easier ones. This reminds me of Cheng's insistence on taking the Japanese language exam Stage 2, skipping 4 and 3, much to the horror of her teacher. But her host Nittasan's wife helped her to go through workbooks in the belief that it would improve her Japanese faster even if she did not pass. But she did!
Link

There is no let up by retired Court of Appeal judge

We are in for some very interesting legal arguments. We now have a retired Court of Appeal judge questioning our Federal Court's recent judgments relating to the Perak power grab.

It appears we cannot accept our court decisions at face value. We are now better informed and the information, thanks to the internet, is almost as instantaneous as we can get.

This is a perverse judgement of the Federal Court. It is perverse because it is a decision that was made in blatant defiance of Article 72 (1) of the Federal Constitution which says,”The validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall not be questioned in any court”. The judges of the Federal Court have failed the people and the government of this country when they chose to ignore the law of the Constitution of Malaysia. In other words the judges have refused to do justice according to law.

Incidentally, ultra vires does not mean “outside the law”. It means “outside one’s jurisdiction, beyond the scope of one s power or authority”. And we may ask, who is the Federal Court to say what is beyond the jurisdiction of the Speaker when the supreme law of the country says that “the validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall not be questioned in any court”.

Don’t these judges realize that they have actually done a disservice to the Government of the day? Perhaps they have never heard of the Taff Vale case.

I think the message of the Taff Vale case to our judges of the Federal Court should be clear enough. The electorate may decide, just as the voters did in 1906 England to the Conservative Government, to use the power of their vote to unseat the BN government in the next by-election or general election because they do not trust the judges. Poor Najib our new Prime Minister, it is the judges who have let him down. Unfortunately it would be the Prime Minister who has to carry the baby, but not the irresponsible judges who did all the damage by not administering justice according to law.

Suppose the Speaker Sivakumar were to ignore the declarative decree of the Federal Court, what then? Clause (2) of Article 72 of the Federal Constitution says that “No person shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him when taking part in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of any State or of any committee thereof”. The Federal Court can say anything they like but the Speaker is not liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him when taking part in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly. The order of the Federal Court seems to me to be a brutum fulmen which in Latin means “ineffectual thunderbolt; (action which is) loud but ineffective”. It reminds me of the words of Horace: Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus which in Latin means “Mountains will be in labour, the birth will be a single laughable mouse”.

The errant judges of the Federal Court should heed the warning of the late Lord Denning, What Next in the Law, Butterworths, London, 1982, p 330:

May not the judges themselves sometimes abuse or misuse their power? It is their duty to administer and apply the law of the land. If they should divert it or depart from it a - and do so knowingly - they themselves would be guilty of a misuse of power.

And he posed this question:

Suppose a future Prime Minister should seek to pack the Bench with judges of his own extreme political colour. Would they be tools in his hand?

The full article:
Lim Kit Siang: When the highest court in the land could bring down the Government of the day
by N H Chan

BN looks set to win the battle, but not the war

A beaming Umno solicitor acting for the BN state assemblymen, mentioned about the 'rule of law' just after the verdict by the Federal Court. How many of us share with him the enthusiasm when the people expected the verdict as if following a script to enable BN to control Perak.

BN Perak is relying on three 'turncoats' to achieve its aim, two of whom have corruption cases pending against them. It is pretty obvious that these two were trying to get out of their personal predicament and their support was what Najib required for the purpose of toppling the Pakatan state government. All these happened soon after Najib took over state party leadership from Tajol Rosli.

Now the judiciary seems to do his bidding to ensure that the next Assembly sitting would legalise Zambry's position as Menteri Besar.

With a record like that, sloganeering would just sound hollow with no credibility at all.

To the majority of Perakians, nothing short of dissolution of the state assembly and fresh elections will be acceptable.

People mentioned about election fatigue. What fatigue? So far, the by-elections were held in different places and they are part and parcel of a vibrant democracy. Only the leaders would feel tired of having to campaign yet again and having to dish out instant developments and money. State elections in Perak is necessary to decide once and for all who has the mandate to rule. So far, what we have experienced were manoeuvres by scheming politicians.

Link

Why we cannot take people's words literally...

I feel sorry for the wives!

Link

The case that made Pakatan vulnerable and defensive

Not since Anwar’s case ten years ago, have the public been so upset with the court rulings, which seemed bias and predictable. Having a former Umno man on top of the judiciary did not help public perception at all, despite all the publicity given to the latest promotion of judges based on merit. Overhead someone in the coffeeshop mentioning about how senior Justice Sri Ram is, having been sidelined for 15 years, with many of his juniors promoted much earlier.

Some of us might have given up on our judiciary, but the court of public opinion has a retired Court of Appeal judge who is known for his independence and sound judgment. He had so far given his unofficial judgments pointing out the obvious mistakes and misjudgments and in the process teaching us how to judge our judges.

"I don’t have to tell you how to judge the judge. You must know by now how to do it if you have read my articles in the internet. You will know he is a bad judge if he behaves unfairly to one side as against the other. It is your perception as a member of the public that matters and not what the judge thinks of himself. A judge who does not appear to be fair is useless to the judicial process. As such he is a bad judge and is therefore unfit to sit on the bench. The other essential qualification of a judge is to administer justice according to law. That said, we can now judge this judge.

Article 72, Clause (1) ofthe Federal Constitution clearly states:
72. (1) The validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall not be questioned in any court. "

His frank and full legal explanation can be found in:

limkitsiang: When justice is not administered according to law by NH Chan

The following is easier for laymen like me to understand:

Malaysia-Today.net - Urgent Judicial Review Needed to avert Injustice in Perak Assembly
Posted by admin
Thursday, 16 April 2009 16:47

Federal Court judgment in favour of Election Commission is flawed and must be reversed.
By Kim Quek

The Federal Court appeared to have erred when it ruled on April 9 that the Election Commission (EC) could overrule the Speaker’s acceptance of resignations in the Perak State Assembly.

The Court’s decision was in response to an urgent application by three assemblymen who wanted a declaration whether it was the EC or the Speaker who had the final say over their disputed resignations. The Speaker had earlier accepted their resignations based on their pre-signed letters to this effect, but they – Jamaluddin Radzi, Osman Jailu and Hee Yit Foong – claimed that their resignations were invalid.

The court’s error appears to have sprung from a misinterpretation of the Perak State Constitution, Article XXXVI, Clause (5), which states:

“A casual vacancy shall be filled within sixty days from the date on which it is established by the Election Commission that there is a vacancy.”

The main purpose of this clause is actually to stipulate that a) a vacancy must be filled when it arises and b) it must be filled within 60 days. The words “from the date on which it is established by the Election Commission that there is a vacancy” is actually intended more for the purpose of defining the period of 60 days rather than for empowering the EC to be the final arbiter as to whether a resignation in the legislature is valid or invalid. If it is the latter, it would have been so stated in unambiguous language.

When the court says “The Election Commission is the rightful entity to establish if there was a casual vacancy in the Perak state legislature”, it does not really address the issue. The crux is not whether the EC establishes a vacancy – for that is obvious as without a vacancy you can’t have a by-election - but how it establishes a vacancy.

A vacancy is established when there is a resignation. But who receives the resignation? Surely, it is the Speaker. If there is an argument over a resignation, which authority should deal with it? Surely, it is also the Speaker, failing which, it is the Assembly.

Can the EC poke its nose into the mechanism through which such matters are resolved in the legislature? Surely not, for that would amount to an intrusion into the autonomy of the legislature and a violation of the fundamental constitutional principle of separation of power. Such privileges of the legislature are clearly guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, Article 71, clause 1, which states:

“The validity of any proceeding in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall not be questioned in any court.”
If even the judiciary cannot meddle into the affairs of the legislature, can the Election Commission do that?

So, when the Speaker, who acts on behalf of the Assembly, notifies the EC that an assemblyman has resigned, the job of EC is pure and simple – declare that a vacancy exists and arrange for a by-election within 60 days. It is the height of absurdity for the EC to brush the Speaker’s such notification aside, just because the assemblyman concerned sends in a letter disputing the validity of his resignation, as happened in the case of Jamuluddin Radzi and Osman Jailu when EC declared their respective seats as not vacant on 4th Feb 2009.

The present Federal Court ruling allowing the EC to over-ride the state legislature has not only undermined the autonomy and independence of all state assemblies, but will also open a dangerous gateway for EC to encroach into the sacrosanct preserve of the nation’s supreme body – Parliament. This judgment being from the nation’s highest court, it will stand as precedent to guide future judgments in all courts on this issue and it therefore amounts to a distortion to our constitutions.

The immediate impact of this judgment on the current political impasse in Perak is serious, as it will unjustly and unconstitutionally alter the balance of power in favour of Barisan Nasional once the Assembly is convened, which is expected to be imminent.

It is therefore imperative that an urgent application be made for a judicial review now to rectify this constitutional distortion to avert imminent injustice in the Perak Assembly as well as to protect all legislatures including parliament from undue interference from the EC in the future.

But if we look at the cases, both adjudged and pending, it all started with the case involving the resignation letters of the three State Assemblymen. If the court is perceived to be bias towards BN, this must it. The whole power grab hinges on the validity of the letters. If they are prepared to go against public opinions, then there is nothing much the public can do but teach them again and again at the by-elections and the next general elections.

Link

When the dogma chases the karma...

it lands in the white house mah. That is, if dogs have karma in the first place. Here is one such lucky dog:

First Dog moves into White House
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- To keep another promise made after he was elected, President Barack Obama officially welcomed the First Dog to the White House on Tuesday.

The 6-month-old Portuguese water dog arrived at the White House and was shown around by the First family.

President Obama and his daughter Sasha welcome Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, to the White House, April, 14, 2008. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)Photo Gallery>>>

In front of reporters and photographers, Obama said that he was very pleased with the puppy, which is "good-looking."

"He's got star quality," said the president.

First lady Michelle Obama did most of the walking of the dog on the lawn, accompanied by her husband and two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

After winning the presidential elections on Nov. 4, Obama promised his two daughters a puppy like most other children of the First Family in the U.S. history.

He has said earlier that he was looking for a dog that is a hypoallergenic breed producing fewer allergic reactions and from an animal shelter, which are often mixed-breeds.

Actually, I lost the joke that comes with the comic showing dog chasing the car. Anyway, here's from memory:

A husband asks his wife what she thinks of his chasing after young girls.

She replied that dogs chase after cars but they can't drive them, can they?

A sad episode in The Iron Lady

Like telling lies, one wrong makes it necessary to create other wrongs just to maintain the status quo.

Last night’s episode showed one tragedy after another afflicting the unfortunate Lun Zhi, the poor girl who was pressured by the self-centred Madam Gao to have sex with her husband to serve her own purpose of inheriting her father’s estate.

She produced a set of twins, a boy as required and wanted by Madam, who lived a life of luxury with her, being vital to a family tradition which insisted on a male heir; while the girl lived in poverty with her natural mother and a mentally challenged step-father, chosen by Madam for her. She had to promise never ever to come into contact with the Gao family.

The twist of fate, as the story goes, not only made it possible for the twins to know each other, but to work as boss and able assistant and later as lovers due to get married. A chance conversation which Lin Xi had with her prospective father-in-law (actually her natural father) raised question as to whether she is related to his ‘surrogate wife’. After some checking which confirmed that Lin Xi is his own daughter, the other twin of his own son, the forthcoming incestuous marriage had to be prevented at all costs.

Like before, being put in a spot, the Iron Lady had to do what she had to do, to prevent the secret from being known which could cause the downfall of her business empire, acquired through a big lie.

To recap, she married her husband with the condition of his changing his surname to hers, Gao. It became possible for her to inherit her father’s estate so long as she produced a male heir. After giving birth to two daughters, she was unable to conceive anymore. Her husband and her maid were given the ‘task’ to produce a son, Tian Yao.

Now, if the secret were out that Tian Yao is not Madam Gao’s own son, the whole basis of claim to the inheritance would collapse! Just imagine, it was already stretching too much to consider a son bearing an acquired surname to suit the circumstances, but the fact that he is a son from an unholy alliance between his father (with changed surname) and someone not a member of the Gao family was heresy!

I must give credit to the scriptwriter for making it interesting, and to the local actors and actresses who made this particular episode so touching with their credible, if not excellent performance.

I could imagine and empathise with the mixed feelings when Lun Zhi met Tian Yao again just after she knew he is her own long lost son. She admitted to Madam that she suffered for more than 20 years pining for her son.

Even at their first meeting, she felt a strange bond between them. She was shown to show fondness each time she looked at a boy of his age who reminded her of him. Even though she promised not to see him, and that she is satisfied just to see him from a distance, how could she keep her promise when meeting him in person? She just could not take her hands off him, much to Tian Yao’s surprise and shock, for he must be thinking she is crazy. As he was leaving in a boat, she just had to look through the window to see the fading image.

The earlier meeting between Iron Lady and her nemesis to sort out the mess, caused the accidental death of her other daughter when in a scuffle, she knocked her head against a metal object at the jetty and fell into the sea. Days later, her sorrow after losing her, and her depressed mental state made her follow the sound of her daughter’s bicycle bell which was being stolen and like her daughter, she fell and drowned in the sea.

Our local film productions have improved tremendously since the time when a number of HK actors took part in earlier ones. But I find it uncomfortable, knowing a local man speaking HK Cantonese, presumably as a HK businessman.
Link

The humble rice water cures diarrhoea

Wish to share this from a forwarded email:

"With recent case on the Gelyang Serai food poisoning out break.. would like to share the info received from a friend; pls read on, it may be of help...

When someone gets diarrhoea, sometimes the solution is so easy, we wonder why anyone has to suffer.

The secret is in rice water.

This is already known in this region. Ask your maids - Sri Lankan,Indonesian, Filipina and they would know about it.

(My mother) knew about it. When Dr Albert Winsemius came to Singapore for a farewell and thank you dinner in his honour, he brought along his wife Aly and his granddaughter, Jolijn. Both women came down with very bad gastroenteritis. They saw the doctor who gave them medication. It was slow to work.

Mother boiled some rice in lots of water and went to their hotel with two 1.5L bottles of rice water.

I cringed in shame at the offer of this folk remedy, which seemed so primitive to me. Never heard of this cure before. To my surprise, it worked, and they were even able to go out for dinner the next day. Both were exclaiming how the rice water did the trick of making them well again. Well, lucky it worked, I thought to myself.

I was discussing this some years back with Kim Ng, the ex-matron of KK Hospital. She said, yes, that is what Professor Wong Hock Boon, the notable paediatrician teaches. I was shocked and made some comment how could he? It was common knowledge so what had he to do with it?

Many months later, I regretted laughing at it. Dr Christina Shanta Emmanuel, who is the CEO of...uh, which group I have forgotten. Either National Health Group, or Polyclinics, or whatever.. regarded me seriously when I brought up the topic like it was good fun. She said that Prof Wong Hock Boon had presented a paper on it, at some conference, after he had done clinical trials.

Then his results were published in the Lancet, the Medical Journal all doctors read. In fact, said Shanta, he was credited for saving the lives of 2 million African babies by this method.

Ah, so! I am impressed.

It is rice water and not rice, that does the trick. I have found it effective again and again. You take a handful of rice and boil it in a large saucepan with lots of water. Like three or four large glasses.Then you cool that and drink the water. If you are in a hurry to relieve the ailing person, take the saucepan off the fire and dunk it in a frying pan or basin of cool water, with ice cubes if necessary.This gives the patient a chance to drink the rice water sooner and cure himself or herself sooner.

When drinking the rice water, make sure there is lots of it. You have to tell the patient that enough water must go in to line your guts from throat to other end, all 10 to 12 metres of it. If you take rice, it stays in the stomach. If you take broth, some of it may go into the small intestine.

But if you take rice water, it will carry rice grains to every inch of your small and large intestine to the end where the problem is.

How does it work? Even Prof Wong Hock Boon doesn't know. Read the attached file. Or go to http://rehydrate.org/dd/dd06.htm#page2

It is good to pass on the news to everyone you know because the complaint is so common and people suffer unnecessarily. You would be doing your friends a great favour to relieve them of their misery when the occasion arises."
Link

Ah So! Mori San. So desu ka?

don't think it makes Japanese sense, but sounds like it. Perhaps Cheng can correct me.

This is a true story from the Japanese Embassy in US!!!

A few years ago, Prime Minister Mori was given some Basic English conversation training before he visits Washington and meets president Bill Clinton...

The instructor told Mori Prime Minister, when you shake hand with President Clinton, please say 'how r u'.

Then Mr. Clinton should say, 'I am fine, and you?' Now, you should say 'me too'. Afterwards we, translators, will do the work for you.'

It looks quite simple, but the truth is...

When Mori met Clinton , he mistakenly said 'who r u?' (Instead of 'How r u?'.)

Mr. Clinton was a bit shocked but still managed to react with humor: 'Well, I'm Hillary's husband, ha-ha...'

Then Mori replied 'me too, ha-ha.. .'.

Then there was a long silence in the meeting room.
Link

Chin Huat's take on PKR's decision on Elizabeth

Ketuanan Parti atau Ketuanan Rakyat? Party or People is supreme? With a name Parti Keadilan Rakyat, it is such a coincidence that the question Chin Huat poses is on whether the party leaders consider the P or R is more important and this rests on K, Keadilan which is Malay for justice. One thing is sure in politics, and that is, they cannot please everybody. Which is why decisions on such a situation have to be based on certain principles and they have to be consistently applied to earn people's trust and approval.

The Nut Graph PKR’s moment of truth (excerpts):
By Wong Chin Huat
editor@thenutgraph.com

PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will face its moment of truth tomorrow, 15 April 2009. The party will decide whether it will accept Selangor executive councillor (exco) Elizabeth Wong's offer of resignation following the distribution of intimate photos of her.

Wong has done the honourable thing by offering her party a choice about whether to retain her services or not. PKR's choice would not only signal its electoral strategy; more importantly, it would indicate the party's political belief on two important questions.

If PKR accepted Wong's resignation, it would be sending the message, loud and clear, that while ordinary citizens are entitled to privacy, public figures, especially public office bearers, are not. They are condemned to live with Big Brother or in Truman's
world if they cannot avoid the camera or afford the protection of police and intelligence services.

Wong has proven her worthiness not only to Bukit Lanjan as its state assemblyperson, but also to many more bukits within Selangor as the exco in charge of environment. She is not a mediocre politician.

Neither has she been implicated in any corruption cases. Instead, she might have frustrated many who hoped that corruption would help in the approval process for some hillside projects. And of course, she does not have an aide or bodyguard
implicated in a murder case or for stealing C4 explosives.

The insistence on comparing Wong with other politicians who are charged with or implicated in corruption and power abuse is akin to comparing rape survivors with criminals.

Secondly, if PKR accepts Wong's resignation in a bid to showcase its moral purity, the party is in fact welcoming attempts by just about anyone to expose their representatives' private lives.

The last time I counted, PKR has 71 elected representatives — 31 in parliament and 40 in the state assemblies. If PKR "rewards" what was done to Wong by accepting her resignation, the party is effectively inviting detractors to target all 71 PKR representatives whose private lives will be up for grabs. Can the party be certain that none of its representatives will be the next
"weak link"?

Ketuanan rakyat or parti?
The other political belief PKR would be displaying over its decision on Wong's resignation is an old one in political theory on democracy. Who do elected representatives owe their primary loyalty to? Their own conscience, their party, or the electorate (the people)?

Wong's constituents in Bukit Lanjan have made clear that they want her service. Mind you, they are of different ages, gender, and economic and sociocultural backgrounds. So far, we have not heard anyone calling for her to quit.

And so, the people have spoken, if you like.

Now that Wong has put her party before her own conscience, will her party put the people before itself, or more precisely, before the vested interests of certain quarters in the party?

Malaysians have no doubt that PKR believes in Ketuanan Rakyat over Ketuanan Melayu.

It will be a real test now whether Ketuanan Rakyat will also prevail over Ketuanan Parti.

The Truth hurts...

'Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman.'
This implies the woman did not look up to him in the first place.


'The reason men lie is because women ask so many questions.'
In other words, to cut a long story short!

This reminds me of someone who survived a horrible car accident. He found his wife’s subsequent cross-examination more painful than the actual injuries!
Link

A very good "80/20" Rule to remember

A very valuable lesson to learn...

Interesting quote from the movie 'Why did I get married?'

In most cases, especially in relationships, you will only get 80% of what you NEED and you will hardly get the other 20% that you WANT in your relationship.

There is always another person (man or women) that you will meet and that will offer you the other 20% which is lacking in your relationship that you WANT And believe me, 20% looks really good when you are not getting it at all in your current relationship.

But the problem is that you will always be tempted to leave that good 80% that you know you have, thinking that you will get something better with the other 20% that you WANT
But as reality has proven, in most cases, you will always end up with having the 20% that you WANT and loosing the 80% that you really NEED and that you already had. Be careful in deciding between what you WANT and NEED in your life.

I have taken the liberty to cut the story short and instead show this Wishing Well, which I think is relevant, instead:



Then I have inserted this unrelated story which I wish to refer to it as the Elusive 20%:

Housework

Housework was a woman's job, but one evening, Jenny arrived home from work to find the children bathed, one load of laundry in the washer and another in the dryer. Dinner was on the stove, and the table set. She was astonished! It turns out that Ralph had read an article that said, 'Wives who work full-time and had to do their own housework were too tired to have sex'.

The night went very well. The next day, she told her office friends all about it. 'We had a great dinner. Ralph even cleaned up
the kitchen. He helped the kids do their homework, folded all the laundry and put it away. I really enjoyed the evening.'

'But what about afterward?' asked her friends.

'Oh, that..., Ralph was too tired..'

Has it got to be mutually exclusive upon switching roles?

Credibility at stake

Don’t be afraid to criticize police: CPO, a headline in The Star, quoting Penang police chief, DCP Ayub Yaakob, who encourages constructive criticisms.

But what comes to my mind, is 'be very afraid, after you have criticized them!'

We have come across so many cases of people reporting about corruption or more serious crimes relating to VVIPs but ended up getting into trouble themselves! The perception of 'shooting the messenger' cannot be erased so easily.

Like freedom of speech, the people are more worried about whether there is freedom after speech.

I can still remember when Daim became the Finance Minister, one of his brilliant ideas was the amnesty offered to Malaysians with undeclared incomes stashed overseas. I wonder how many Malaysians, especially the Chinese, took up the offer. Most of them said, “No, thank you!” They believed, rightly or not, that the tax authorities promised not to tax nor penalise you during the period, but what about after? Just imagine, Tong, Lek and Ah Lee, suddenly brought in Rm millions when they didn’t even have tax files before! Wouldn’t the tax authorities keep a close tab on them after that? Surely, there is no promise of amnesty for an indefinite period.

On the other hand, we cannot stop people thinking probably some crony VVIPs themselves brought in tons of money during the period! I wonder who were in charge of VVIPs’ tax files then. Should be interesting… very interesting indeed.
Link